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Eye check-up and spectacles for patients from Ponda: students, workers and families

Ponda taluka has college students, workers in the Kundaim and Bethora industrial estates, farmers in the areca and coconut gardens, and grandparents who want to read comfortably again. All of them need the same thing first: an accurate eye test. ReNew Vision Eye Hospital is in Vasco, not in Ponda, on the 2nd floor of the Pai Hospital building, Vaddem Merces Road, Vaddem, and its Vision Correction Centre is in the same building.

Getting to Vasco from Ponda

The usual road is south to Borim, over the Zuari, through Loutolim to Verna and then along NH 66 and the Vasco road (NH 366): about 32 km, close to an hour in daytime traffic. Buses from the Ponda bus stand go to Vasco, or you can change at Margao; the Vasco bus stand is about 1 km from the hospital. For an older relative, we can collect you from your home and drop you back, at zero cost to the patient. Call 072489 88039 to arrange it, and see coming from another town for the general plan.

What does the check-up cover?

A complete check-up tests your vision and spectacle power, measures the eye pressure, and examines the front of the eye, the lens and the retina, often after drops that widen the pupils. It finds things a power test alone misses, such as early glaucoma or diabetic changes in the retina. Details are on the eye check-up page. If you only need new glasses, say so when you call.

Students from Farmagudi and Ponda colleges

Long hours on laptops and phones for engineering and college work bring tired, dry or burning eyes and headaches by evening. Often the cause is uncorrected power, or simply blinking less while staring at a screen. A power test sorts out the first; short breaks help the second: every 20 minutes, look at something far away for 20 seconds. Students who want contact lenses need a proper fitting and must learn never to sleep or swim in them. See contact lenses.

Working in Kundaim or Bethora? Protect your eyes

Grinding, welding, cutting and drilling throw fine metal and stone chips at high speed. A chip stuck on the cornea, the clear front window of the eye, hurts, waters and can leave a rust ring if left too long. Wear safety glasses or a face shield, even for a quick job. If something hits your eye:

• do not rub it, and do not let a colleague dig it out with a pin or a cloth corner;
• for a chemical splash, rinse with clean running water for at least 15 to 20 minutes before you travel;
• cover the eye loosely and come in, or call 072489 88039 on the way. Emergency eye care is available 24 hours.

If your employer needs an eye fitness certificate, or a colour vision test for a job form, bring the form to the check-up.

Spectacles for garden and farm work

Sun, sweat and plant dust are hard on frames and lenses. Ask at the Vision Correction Centre about sturdy frames, scratch-resistant lenses and power sunglasses with UV protection if you work outdoors all day. A thorn or a palm frond that scratches the eye needs to be seen the same day, because plant matter can lead to a serious infection of the cornea. Do not use old eye drops from home on it.

Reading glasses after 40

From about 40, close work slowly gets harder: the phone moves further away and the newspaper needs more light. Ready-made reading glasses from a shop give both eyes the same power and do not check your eye health. A test at ReNew Vision gives the right power for each eye and a look at the eye pressure and the retina at the same time. Read reading glasses after 40.

Timing the visit from Ponda

• The Eye OPD runs Monday to Saturday, 4 pm to 7 pm, Friday included; Sunday OPD is closed.
• Leave Ponda by about 3 pm if drops may be used, since they take time to work.
• After drops, do not ride your bike home; vision is blurred for a few hours.
• Ask when your spectacles will be ready, so you can plan the trip to collect them.

Questions patients ask

Can I get an eye check-up and spectacles in one trip from Ponda?

Usually yes. The eye test is done in the Eye OPD, and the Vision Correction Centre is in the same building, so you can choose frames and lenses straight afterwards. Ask when the spectacles will be ready.

A metal chip went into my eye at work in Kundaim. What should I do?

Do not rub it or try to remove it. Cover the eye loosely and come to ReNew Vision, or the nearest hospital if it is severe. Emergency eye care is available 24 hours: call 072489 88039 on the way.

Can I ride back to Ponda after the eye test?

Not if dilating drops were used, because they blur vision for a few hours. Come with someone who can drive, take the bus, or ask us about the home pickup and drop.

Do you fit contact lenses for college students from Ponda?

Yes. The eye hospital fits contact lenses, teaches safe use and supplies the lenses. A spectacle prescription is not enough; a separate fitting is needed.

How do I reach ReNew Vision from Ponda by bus?

Take a bus from the Ponda bus stand to Vasco, or change at Margao. From the Vasco KTC bus stand, an auto-rickshaw covers the last kilometre to Vaddem.

This page is general eye-health information, not personal medical advice. Your eye doctor advises you after examining your eyes.